On 27th March 2024, we updated our Terms and Conditions for EXPERIENCES, COURSES and BAREBOAT CHARTERS. All guests who have already booked with us for 2024 have been contacted via email informing them of the changes. Those with bookings scheduled have been given the option to OPT OUT of the changes as their bookings were secured based on the old T&Cs.
For guests who secure their bookings after 27th March, the new T&Cs will apply.
Why are you changing your T&Cs?
Changes to our Terms and Conditions are due to the increased number of late cancellations we are now receiving from our valued customers. This often results in loss of income for our small, family-run business when we do not have enough time to re-sell the sailing experience or charter that has been cancelled. An earlier payment and cancellation window will give us more time to re-sell the cancelled booking and may also provide us with a bigger chance of being in a position to refund part of your payment.
Changes to paragraph 2: Payments Where deposits have been paid, the balance will be due 8 weeks before commencement of the experience/course/charter instead of 4.
Changes to paragraph 4: If you wish to cancel Requests for cancellation or alterations to bookings will need to be received 8 weeks before commencement of the experience/course/charter charter instead of 4.
What will happen next?
In our booking confirmations, we will continue to provide a direct link to our T&Cs and continue to recommend that our guests take out adequate insurance to cover any cancellation outside our terms and conditions, particularly in respect of medical conditions for you or close members of your family which may result in your cancellation.
We would like to thank you for your understanding and look forward to welcoming you aboard in 2024.
Welcome to our first newsletter of 2024, where we introduce you to the fantastic skippers who will be working with us this year, and we remind you about our current availability with our sailing experiences. As always, we encourage you to get in touch to ask questions or discuss your sailing requirements to ensure you and your crew have a wonderful sailing experience in Devon.
Meet our Skippers for 2024
We would like to introduce you to our skippers and instructors for the 2024 sailing season. You can find out a little more about each of them by clicking the links.
Tim Sunderland, RYA Instructor and Commercially Endorsed Yacht Master.
Mick Chantler, RYA Instructor and Commercially Endorsed Yacht Master.
Stewart Milne, RYA Instructor and Commercially Endorsed Yacht Master.
Dominic Collins, RYA Instructor and Commercially Endorsed Yacht Master.
Martin Jordan, RYA Instructor and Commercially Endorsed Yacht Master.
Bon Voyage to Skipper and Instructor, Charlie Musgrove
We are sad to be waving goodbye to skipper/instructor Charlie Musgrove this year, but wish him the very best of luck with his new adventure – skippering the Caribbean. We hope he will return to skipper with us again in the future (when he has got fed up with all that sunshine!).
What’s happening in 2024?
Our sailing calendar for 2024 is filling up fast which is great news for us. Lots of events/sailing opportunities are scheduled on-demand, so if you can’t see dates or events on our sailing schedule that work for you, it is always worth getting in touch to ask – we will always do our very best to help.
In the meantime, we would like to draw your attention to a few sailing experiences that are currently available:
If you are looking for a sailing adventure in the Westcountry, our South West sailing experience is the ideal choice for you. We currently have 3 places remaining in May.
Possible sailing destinations (depending on wind direction) may include Salcombe, Fowey, Falmouth, Helford River, Dartmouth, Brixham, River Yealm.
A 20% deposit will secure your place, with the balance due 4 weeks before you sail.
Ever considered setting sail to the Isles of Scilly? If this is your ambition (and you have had previous sailing experience), this group sailing opportunity is the ideal choice for you. It is a hands-on sailing experience for those who have sailed before, but would prefer to be under the watchful eye of an experienced skipper.
Weekend sails and day sails are our most popular sailing experiences that are suitable for all levels of sailors. Whilst they offer a good introduction to sailing, they are useful to help build miles and develop skills. Due to the beauty of the southwest coast, our weekend sails are often used as mini-breaks to allow guests to explore fabulous close-by locations such as Salcombe, Fowey and Noss Mayo. Please visit our website to book yourself aboard.
Our exclusive sailing experiences offer a wonderful way to introduce your family to the water. They are also ideal for special occasions such as birthdays or meeting up with friends that you haven’t seen for some time. We offer single-day and multi-day exclusive charters. They are scheduled on demand, so please get in touch to discuss a date and your requirements.
We will continue to schedule RYA courses on-demand, so if you can’t see a suitable date on our sailing schedule, please do not hesitate to contact us and we will do our best to schedule one for you (subject to availability).
Bookings for bareboat charters are coming in fast, so don’t leave it too late to book or you may be disappointed. A 20% deposit will secure your date with the balance due 4 weeks before you sail. The minimum qualification required for a yacht charter is Day Skipper with experience in tidal waters. Please get in touch to discuss availability.
Was your booking postponed in 2023?
We sail in all weather EXCEPT when high winds make it dangerous. When this happens, we may need to postpone your booking to keep you and our boats safe.
If your booking was postponed in 2023, please make sure you give yourself plenty of time to re-book your experience this year. You have 12 months from the date of cancellation to reschedule.
Follow us on Social Media
Keep up to date with last-minute availability and stories from our skippers and guests by following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Don’t forget to tag us in any of your own posts; we love to hear about your sailing adventures so if you have any photos you would like to share (or stories to tell) please get in touch.
Dom has been passionate about all things boating for the best part of 35 years.
Qualifying as a boat Cox’n during his long career with the Royal Marines he subsequently learned to sail on dinghies and Hobie Cats. He went on to learn to sail yachts and has taken part in expeditions off Norway during the winter, in the Mediterranean, Indian Ocean and more recently a circumnavigation of the UK.
Dom is a RYA Instructor and Commercially Endorsed Yacht Master.
Martin started having sailing holidays with his wife in 2010, mostly in the Med but also chartered in Thailand, The Caribbean and The Whitsundays.
On retirement in 2016 his project was to pass his Yacht Master offshore exam, then he continued to achieve his commercial endorsement and cruising instructor qualifications. After that, he started volunteering as a skipper for a sailing charity based in The Solent.
He has now moved to Cornwall and whilst still volunteering for the sailing charity, he is now pleased to be skippering and instructing with Devon Sailing Experiences.
Martin is a RYA Instructor and Commercially Endorsed Yacht Master.
Giles is a specialist paramedic and skippers for Devon Sailing Experiences for fun in his spare time. In the past, he has taught young people outdoor adventure sports so loves passing his enthusiasm onto families as well as adult groups. He holds a YM Sail & Motor Commercial Certificate of Competence & has worked commercially in locations such as the UK, West Africa and Greenland. He is a dad to 3 children.
Tony has sailed offshore since the early eighties and has logged close to 50,000 passage miles. He started sailing commercially in 2008 with yacht deliveries and sailing tuition after a sea-going career in marine science. He is very familiar with the waters of SW England, the Channel Islands and Brittany coast and has also undertaken Biscay crossings to destinations in Northern Spain, Portugal and the Mediterranean.
He stated that he loves the fact that being on the water is always fun, always different and he still gets a buzz every time the engine goes off and the sails take over. A lunch stop or an evening at anchor with good company is the perfect way to wind down for Tony.
Mick started working at sea from the age of 16 for 25 years as a seaman with the Royal Navy. During that time, he gained a huge respect for the sea and never underestimated its power.
It was through the Navy that Mick was introduced to sailing and quickly realised a love for the sport which he still enjoys.
Mick has been a freelance Sailing Instructor since around 2010. He admits that he still gets a sense of enjoyment from getting a yacht safely from A to B, from his students/crew having fun whilst learning during the many passages he has skippered.
Mick is a RYA Instructor and Commercially Endorsed Yacht Master.
Tim has been yacht sailing since he was a teenager, firstly as part of a racing crew for his friends at a local sailing club. He has been a Yachtmaster Offshore for many years and has spent many miles delivering yachts around the UK and across the Channel.
He became an RYA instructor some fifteen years ago and has also run his own sea school, which he gave up when he purchased a part of maritime history, in the guise of ‘Our Daddy’ a Looe-built fishing boat.
Tim has been the Chief Instructor at Devon Sailing Experiences since we became an RYA training centre. In addition to working with Nick and Katie, he also trains the officer cadets at Royal Navy Brittania, Dartmouth.
Tim has a huge passion for sailing and helping people achieve their goals and dreams aboard yachts and his enthusiasm is infectious. He also has a passion for great food.
Tim is a Chief Instructor, RYA Instructor and Commercially Endorsed Yacht Master.
